Reasons to visit us
Why to visit Bratislava, especially at Christmas? Easy to ask and even easier to answer.
Reasons why to visit Bratislava are several, at least 7.
Make your choice:
1. See magic atmosphere at Christmas fairs!
2. And what about spending New Year´s Eve in Bratislava?
3. Romantic feeling?
4. In a search of beauty...
5. Music and Bratislava?
6. Charm of revivied history?
7. Thousands tastes...
1. See magic atmosphere at Christmas fairs!
The most lovely jiff in your life!Main Square
This year Christmas fairs will remain faithful to its traditional idea - to find all those little things, that help to create ideal family atmosphere of Christmas at the Main Square during the Christmas time. You can find here traditional Slovak Christmas meals and cakes, home-made specialities, baked pork and sushi. Range of products offered at the fairs will be completed by many different folk products, Christmas trinkets, popular marionettes, books or CDs. Altogether there will be 60 stands with Christmas stuff and 30 gastronomy stands. There will be 9 grills and 7 covered pergolas. You will be offered a wide range of products, which have been forming unique Christmas atmosphere since the beginning of 1993, when the first Christmas fairs were held. An unthinkable part of Christmas atmosphere in the historical center of Bratislava is the accompanying cultural programme at the Main Square. Your shopping will be made more pleasant especially by children from elementary schools, secondary schools and also from art and religious schools. Performances will be held in the afternoons. On the opening day children from Bratislava, Brno, Prague, Krakow, Vienna, who are taking part in the project "Bridges between Cities" will give performances. Besides that the City has prepared programmes for St.Nicolaus and Bratislava Folk Christmas.
Hviezdoslavovo Square
In front of the statue of P.O. Hviezdoslav a stage for cultural programme will be placed. As usual in front of the Slovak National Theatre an ice-skating ring will be installed. You can wander round lit streets and see lighting up the Christmas tree in the town centre. Near the ice-skating ring will be built an igloo from glass in a shape of a hemisphere where you can buy something hot to drink (grog, wine) and some refreshment. There will also be lockers for skaters. Under the Christmas tree there will be stands in the shape of a star for foundations, that will raise money for charity needs. On the Hviezdoslavovo Square animals from the Zoo will also appear, e.g. - tats, donkeys and lamas. Other accompanying programmes will be toy and money collections for children from orphanages.
2. And what about spending New Year´s Eve in Bratislava?
Magnificent idea!
Bratislava New Year´s Eve is well known in Central Europe.
You can expect great programme in the town center. This year's programme will be magnificent with even more scenographic issues, that will highlight mostly the countdown of last seconds of the old year at the Main Square.
There will be a big concert on the square that will last for 9 hours. Michalska Street will belong to the dancing people on the huge open air scene. This year's music scenic will be played by Fun Radio and their playing list will consist mostly of dance music, which is known under the name "Café del Fun". You are welcome.
Program for all generations with several kinds of music, including operettas, folk or world music is being prepared by the municipality Old Town on the Hviezdoslavovo Square. Don´t miss the night ice-skating on the Hviezdoslavovo Square. "New Year's Eve in the streets of the capital city will be unique again," says A. Ďurkovský, the Mayor of Bratislava. "It is not just a two-hour party towards midnight, but it is a night-long integrated project taking place in several parts of the historical centre."
3. Romantic feeling?
No problem!
Visit to historical landmarks will leave visitors to Bratislava with some of the most lasting impressions. Among the most interesting are sacral buildings, reminders of exceptional historic, architectural and artistic value. Reconstructed palaises, churches, monasteries and old town houses are hiding artworks of high artistic value. Quite a few artefacts, which you find in this city, can not be found elsewhere in the world. In the official parts of the Primaciálny Palace the visitors can delight in a unique collection of 6 English tapestries from 17th century, depicting an ancient love legend of priestess Héro to Leandro. Resting-place of a famous rabbi Chatam Sofer is visited every year by thousands of people from all over the world. Most striking piece of modern architecture is a suspension bridge, called the New Bridge on one pylon only, where 80 metres high you will find a restaurant with panoramic view of the city. Historic buildings are mixed with modern architecture buildings of 20th century, however it is the atmosphere, appreciated by people and visitors of the city.
4. In a search of beauty...
Museum, exhibitions, galleries...
Rich past of the city is documented by collections in a number of museums and galleries with opportunities to appreciate the skills of the old masters, as well as meet the contemporary artists and their works. Slovak National Gallery is a home to works of local artists, as well as gems of European art. Gallery of City Bratislava has its galleries in several historic buildings in the center of the Old Town. Apart from these two most important galleries there is a number of smaller galleries of modern art. Most valuable collections of the Slovak National Museum are presented in exhibition "Jewels of the Slovak History" held at the Archaeological museum. Historic Museum has collections from general history, history of art and numismatics. Music Museum documents the history of Slovak music from the earliest days until present. All exhibitions are located in the Bratislava Castle. You will find here also a Museum of Natural History, Museum of Carpathian Germans and others. The City Museum is represented by: History of the City and Feudal Justice - Old Town Hall, Exhibition of Weapons and Town Fortifications - Michael's Tower, Wine and Wine-making exhibition - Apponyi Palais, Pharmaceutical exhibition - Pharmacy U Červeného raka, Music exhibition - birth place of J. N. Hummel, Exhibition of Historic Clocks - dom U dobrého pastiera and many others.
5. Music and Bratislava?
Why not?
Bratislava and music are two inseparable phenomena. Although musical life of the city progressed through various periods, it never abandoned the lives of its people. Bratislava was a concert venue for music giants such as W. A. Mozart, J. Haydn, L. van Beethoven, F. Liszt, A. G. Rubinstein and others. This rich musical heritage is well preserved and kept alive also by the modern musical life of Bratislava. Music resonates throughout the contemporary Bratislava. In autumn the highlight is the Bratislava Music Festival - international festival of classical music. Bratislava is a home to a number of theatres. Slovak National Theatre is housing the opera theatre, P. O. Hviezdoslav and Malá scéna are drama theatres, Nová scéna is the home of musical theatre and many others, such as Štúdio S, Astorka Korzo' 90, the State Puppet Theatre and the Radošinské naivné divadlo.
6. Charm of revivied history?
Go on!
Streets of Bratislava are brimming with history. Archaeologists are still finding reminders of the life in the past, the Celts, Romans but also our Slavonic forbears from the days of the Great Moravian Empire. Archives are housing valuable deeds documenting the glory of a mediaeval city, witnessing the coronation of 11 Hungarian kings and 8 regal wives. Gothic Dome of St. Martin was also a venue for the coronation of Maria Therese. Looking up from the banks of the Danube River you will be charmed by the majesty of Bratislava Castle, which bears features of several architectural styles. Today the historic centre contains a number of beautiful, renovated townhouses in baroque and rococo style with romantic courtyards, several churches and monasteries, statutes and fountains and old town houses. They form narrow streets and small squares with a special charm of revived history. Christmas markets fill every corner of the Old Town, together with Easter and other cultural events. Unique atmosphere of the days when Bratislava was the coronation seat of Hungarian Kings are revived every year for the people and visitors of Bratislava during the coronation festivities.
7. Thousands tastes...
Hmm... Do you like surprise?
Restaurants, wine bars, cafeterias and bars in Bratislava offer a wide selection of meals and beverages, from the traditional Slovak dishes through to international cuisine. Discovering a city and a country can not be complete without tasting the national dishes in period style restaurants with traditional music or inmodern restaurants, which offer traditional dishes, as well as modern international fare. Exotic dishes can be found in a number Chinese restaurants, or in Japanese and Mexican restaurants. Center of the town has a plethora of cafeterias, wine bars and beer halls where you can enjoy a cup of coffee, glass of wine or beer and soak up the atmosphere of Bratislava during the day or night. And you may get surprised by the remarkable hospitality of the people of Bratislava